News.

On the 22nd of March 2017, Geomedia consultant Rivo Noorkõiv and Cumulus Consulting consultant Mihkel Laan are conducting a training on “Preparing amalgamation in local government units”. The training’s objective is to assist local government units to successfully prepare before the upcoming municipality council elections in October 2017. The training will deal with important topics...

The first phase of the amalgamation reform has now been finalized. In the course of the amalgamation negotiations, decision were taken about the formation of new local government units. The achieved agreements determine the number of inhabitants, the territorial configuration and the area of the future urban and rural municipalities. However, now it is...

Sociologist Ivi Proos and human geographer Rivo Noorkõiv discuss in the amalgamation reform blog how the amalgamation reform and the merger of local government units influence village communities and which opportunities communities have to take part in the merger negotiations. What influences peoples attitudes towards rural and urban municipality mergers, why are their opinions so...

On March, 15-16 2017, the annual “Urban and Rural Municipality Days” were held for the 13th time. During the fair-conference like event, many seminars, topical workshops and discussions took place. Although the target group were above all municipality leaders and specialist in the field, also officials from state institutions and the public sector, entrepreneurs...

Geomedia PhD student Bianka Plüschke-Altof will publicly defend her dissertation on the 28^th of December 2017 at 13:15 at the University of Tartu (Oeconomicum, J. Liivi 4-214). Under the title “Images of the Periphery Impeding Rural Development?” the dissertation treats the peripheralization of Estonian rural areas under a new perspective. The current discussion on the administrative...

On the 4th of November the Estonian Broadcast TV show “Forum” made the amalgamation reform subject of discussion. Participants in the discussion were the Minister of State Administration, Arto Aas, and the Members of Parliament, Jüri Ratas, Siim Kiisler and Henn Põlluaas. Külli Taro from the Foundation Estonian Cooperation Assembly...